


Getting to know your past, present, and future

by L126



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Incest?, M/M, Original Character(s), Warrior Cats, but not really, idk its complicated
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-25
Updated: 2014-11-25
Packaged: 2018-02-26 23:09:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2669852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/L126/pseuds/L126
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Crowpaw glanced curiously at the rogue that had been found in FeatherClan's territory a few nights ago. The young warrior in training had been wanting to go nearer for a while now to maybe speak with him but hadn't had the courage to do so. </p><p>This was out of character for him and frankly was quite alarming. Usually he was very bold and blunt in his words at least more so than his actions. But there was something about this tom that stopped him from putting one paw in front of the other and just going over there. </p><p>"Why is he so different?" he thought, "Why can't I just approach him like I would any other cat?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Getting to know your past, present, and future

Crowpaw glanced curiously at the rogue that had been found in FeatherClan's territory a few nights ago. His pelt was red with darker patches that made him look as if he were covered in sores. He was currently sleeping near the medicine cat den on the other side of the camp. The young warrior in training had been wanting to go nearer for a while now to maybe speak with him but hadn't had the courage to do so.

 

This was out of character for him and frankly was quite alarming. Usually he was very bold and blunt in his words at least more so than his actions. But there was something about this tom that stopped him from putting one paw in front of the other and just going over there.

 

"Why is he so different?" he thought, "Why can't I just approach him like I would any other cat?"

 

The tom in question looked up to stare directly into Crowpaw's amber eyes. The dark apprentice quickly looked away, heat rising to the fur on his cheeks. "Great now I look like a mousebrain for staring..."

 

Maybe had the rogue not been under constant surveillance he would've been able to come up to Crowpaw himself. After all, he was the one he kept his eyes on since the moment he'd set foot in the camp.

 

The apprentice sighed and mustered up what little courage he could find in his body at the moment. He had to end this constant staring contest as it was getting rather old and soon his clanmates would begin to question his loyalty if they were to notice.

 

He trotted over to the red furred tom and sat in front of him with a bored look on his face, as if it ever changed anyway.

 

The rogue looked up at him from his place in the shade and smirked. "Well well, did the kitten finally decide to come and say hi?" His voice was smooth and his words dripped off of his tongue like honey. Crowpaw was taken aback for a moment by how charming he seemed. He recovered quickly enough.

 

"I'm not a kit, I'm an apprentice." he corrected, a glare taking the place of his former bored look.

 

"Oh my apologies," the rogue chuckled. "You're just so small and adorable I had to assume you couldn't be much older than the kits in the nursery over there." He nodded towards the nursery where a few of FeatherClan's kits were playing.

 

Blushing, Crowpaw ignored the obvious flattery and avoided that side of the conversation. "I wouldn't be talking about the kits around my clanmates if I were you. They might think you were here to steal them or something like that."

 

The rogue grinned a dangerous smile and shifted so that he was sitting up. He curled his tail around his paws lazily and meowed, "Sorry to disappoint them then but, the only thing I'd find worth stealing in this clan is your heart my dear."

 

The dark apprentice flattened his ears in surprise and twitched his tail tip. "I uh...uh...wow you're a huge creep." he ended up saying bluntly. 

 

The rogue chuckled at that. "I'm sorry have I made you uncomfortable?" he asked, sly smirk finding it's way to his face once again. He didn't look very apologetic either.

 

"No...I just...never mind..." Crowpaw looked away and back towards the apprentice den. Maybe it had been a bad idea to come over and expect this older tom to talk to him without wanting to tease him every step of the way. If he went back to the apprentice den he might be able to get to sleep early and possibly sleep through the night this time.

 

The rogue in front of him noticed his sudden interest in the den across the camp and flicked his tail near the apprentice's face to regain his attention. "What's your name little warrior?" he asked.

 

Crowpaw hesitated but only for a moment. What did it matter if he did know his name anyway? "It's Crowpaw." he paused, unsure of asking the same but eventually stammered out, "What's yours then?"

 

"I don't have one." The tom shrugged looking a bit disinterested in the conversation now although his pale eyes burned with curiosity.

 

"What? How can you not have a name?"

 

The red furred tom chuckled. "Not everyone is gifted with such a luxury little one." He moved to step around Crowpaw and headed over to the fresh kill pile.

 

The dark apprentice looked around quickly to see that the warriors on watch were gone. That being said it still wasn't a good idea to let the rogue steal from their food supply, especially in a season like leaf-bare.

 

"Hey, what are you doing?" Crowpaw asked frantically, bounding over to the rogue who was picking through the dead things on the pile looking for something specific apparently.

 

"What does it look like? I'm not sure if you were aware of this but in order to survive cats have to eat. On top of that, I haven't had food since yesterday and with your entire clan keeping an eye on me it isn't exactly like I can go out and hunt for myself now can I?"

 

Crowpaw couldn't argue with his logic but still, he knew that he shouldn't let the rogue take something off of the pile.

 

"I can go get you something." he offered, after a few moments of hesitation. "At least that way it won't be like your taking from us." The older tom's eyes lit up curiously at the apprentice's words.

 

"Oh really? You'll be hunting for me yourself? What a noble little thing you are." he purred, tail wrapping around the side of Crowpaw's face teasingly. "Alright then, bring me back a bird of some kind if you can find one little warrior." he had been heading back to his spot underneath the shade but paused to look Crowpaw in the eye as he did so and said with a wink, "I'll be waiting anxiously for your return."

 

\--

 

Out in the forest Crowpaw was crouched just behind a plump dove that was pecking at the ground. "What am I doing?" he thought. "I'm hunting for a cat that I just met that I know nothing about that is a prisoner of my clan. Dear StarClan forgive me."

 

The dove was an easy hunt and so he caught two mice on the way back to toss onto the pile. He felt almost bad for giving his best catch to the rogue instead of the queens or the elders but he had promised the tom a bird and he was a cat of his word.

 

"Here, I hope this meets your standards picky pelt." The dark apprentice dropped the bird at the paws of the dozing tom who startled at his arrival.

 

"Ah, thank you." he smiled up at the warrior in training and dug into the prey that had been caught for him.

 

Feeling out of place and just a little bit awkward, Crowpaw headed back over to the fresh kill pile to retrieve one of the mice that he had caught for himself.

 

"Only a mouse?" Crowpaw looked up from his meal to see the rogue giving him a questioning look.

 

"I uh...I didn't catch much so I shouldn't eat more than I caught especially since I gave the best of it to you and not my clanmates." he explained quickly, taking a bite of mouse afterwards. It didn't taste nearly as good as the squirrel he had seen on the edge of the pile. But that was his own fault and he'd take what he could get.

 

"That's nonsense," The rogue meowed, shoving the already half eaten dove towards the apprentice. "Here, you caught it so you can share with me." That devilish smirk was back.

 

Crowpaw hesitated, looking at the bird longingly. His stomach growled loudly at the thought, making the other tom laugh at his reaction.

 

"You're clan will not die if you indulge just a bit little warrior." he encouraged.

 

Finally Crowpaw found his courage and leaned over to take a bite of the prey. It was far more satisfying than the mouse which he passed over to the rogue so that they could both share.

 

In the back of his mind Crowpaw could tell that the other apprentice's must be watching him and wondering why he was so friendly with this rogue. To be honest he was wondering the same thing. He had never been this open with another cat before. It was very out of character for him to be behaving this way.

 

"So, little warrior, were you born into this clan? You seem awfully familiar...have I seen you before?" The older tom looked down at the smaller cat with a look of interest. Did he really care if he had seen him before? He was a rogue, surely he'd seen lots of cats before and not cared.

 

"I'm not really from FeatherClan no." he answered. Crowpaw didn't really think he could give enough information away to have this cat hurt him later on. After all he'd either be gone or dead in a few days so what did it really matter? "A FeatherClan warrior found me on the edge of their territory when I was only a few moons old. I was old enough to become an apprentice so I did and I've stayed with this clan for as long as I can remember." he paused and laughed bitterly. "Not that that means anything of course since I can't remember anything prior to meeting that warrior anyway."

 

The rogue blinked at the young tom with a level of surprise on his face. "You don't remember anything? Really?"

 

"No, not a thing. But I mean it really doesn't bother me much." That was a blatant lie. It bothered him every day of his life. "I've got a home here and that's what matters."

 

The older tom chuckled, shaking his head at his words.

 

"What?" Crowpaw frowned, "What is it? What'd I say?"

 

"You can't fool me little warrior. I can see through your lies. I know when a cat is telling the truth and while you have been quite honest so far, that was most certainly a lie that you just told." he paused though there was no sense of hesitation, "You don't really believe that this place is home. If you did you wouldn't be talking to me right now. You would've ignored me at best or given me a look of disgust from the moment I entered this camp of yours. And you certainly wouldn't have hunted for me as well as shared your prey with me."

 

So he did have a point Crowpaw had to admit. He was an intelligent cat that was true and he could tell when a cat was lying. That was something that stood out greatly to Crowpaw. He valued honesty above everything else, even if most of his life he'd had to create lie after lie to keep cats from worrying about him. He wasn't worth the time and effort, not really. It was better to keep them away and at an emotional distance.

 

"I'm not going to discuss whether or not I'm happy living here with you when I'm surrounded by my clanmates are you insane?" While he would admit to this rather special cat that he did lie about his happiness he would not do so in the presence of his clan where they were probably already beginning to question his loyalty. 

 

"Oh yes, I'm quite insane. I don't think I've been in the right state of mind for ages." The red furred tom grinned teasingly. "But fair enough I suppose." he sighed. "I guess if you don't want to leave here and I don't want to leave you the only option there is of course is for me to stay." He paused for a moment to gauge the younger tom's reaction.

 

"Stay?" Crowpaw cocked his head in confusion. "As in like, joining the clan? Becoming a warrior?"

 

The rogue nodded, that had after all been his plan all along. Since he set foot in the camp and locked eyes with this unusual apprentice. But he wouldn't tell him that. Especially since it was more fun to come up with a lie. He would merely take advantage of the little tom's lack of memories.

 

"We cannot part you see. Brothers don't leave each other to fend for themselves when they are the only thing each other have now do they?"

 

"We aren't brothers." Crowpaw argued. "I just told you I don't have any family."

 

"Ah I have to disagree. See, you told me you don't remember if you have any family. Though you wouldn't know now would you?"

 

The dark apprentice's eyes grew wide.

 

"That's right," the rogue continued. "I recognized you from the moment I saw you little brother. We are kin and I've been looking for you for so long." he paused once more to move closer to the apprentice. "It's good to see you again." The older tom purred and pressed his side against the apprentice's affectionately. "And I have decided on that name if you would like to hear it?"

 

Crowpaw nodded, too excited at finally meeting someone from his past that actually cared to verbally respond. He had someone he could actually trust now! Not to mention the fact that he could place the feeling that he had towards this rogue. Crowpaw now understood why he had felt drawn to him. Of course they were brothers! It only made sense.

 

"I think," The rogue hesitated as if contemplating it one last time. "I think I'll go as Plaguepelt. What do you say little warrior?"

 

"It suits you brother."


	2. Give a cat a heart attack why dontcha?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Damn mousebrain had to go off StarClan knows where in the middle of the night. When I find him I will shred his ears that cat I swear! He can't stay with a group for more than five minutes! No, he just has to be alone. Angsty little furball..." He grumbled to himself for a while before stopping dead in his tracks. The strong scent of blood had wafted under his nose carried by the wind.

The red patch pelted tom made his way through the forest on sore paws. He'd been up since dawn looking for his brat of a little brother.

 

"Damn mousebrain had to go off StarClan knows where in the middle of the night. When I find him I will shred his ears that cat I swear! He can't stay with a group for more than five minutes! No, he just has to be alone. Angsty little furball..." He grumbled to himself for a while before stopping dead in his tracks. The strong scent of blood had wafted under his nose carried by the wind. From the trail is seemed to be coming from beyond a row of holly bushes.

 

Plaguepelt squeezed underneath the sharp leaves of the bushes and followed the scent praying that his kin was alright. "Please don't let it be him! Let him be okay! I swear I'll never be mean to him again! I'll even tell him the truth if you'll just let it be someone else!" Frantic thoughts raced through the warrior's head as he tried to find the source of the smell. Plaguepelt had not known the young warrior in training for very long but he enjoyed the other cat's company. They were alike in many ways and Plaguepelt cherished the fact that there was another cat just as sick and twisted as he was at times. "I can't lose that now!"

 

Finally, as the tom came into a clearing on the other side of the bushes he saw the body of the apprentice sprawled out across the roots of a large oak tree. Plaguepelt bounded over to access the damage.

 

"No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no! You have to be okay! I can't be alone anymore! It's too hard! I can't do it!" He crouched down so that he was eyelevel with the smaller tom's face and nudged his cheek with his nose gently.

 

Crowpaw was covered in blood and scratches. But most alarmingly was the fact that he was so still. He wouldn't moved even after Plaguepelt had shook his shoulder rather roughly with his paw.

 

The FeatherClan warrior looked down with sadness etched across his face along with the mixture of horror he felt in his gut. He was going to have to give up this time. Life was so boring when he had no one to live it with and to share all of his horrible thoughts with. Plaguepelt was also very dramatic and no cat would put up with him as easily as Crowpaw had. The apprentice would always roll his eyes at the older tom and yawn.

 

"What in StarClan's name are you wailing about?"

 

"Crowpaw! You're alive!" The dark apprentice, who had just sat up, was bowled over again as the red furred warrior pounced on top of him. Plaguepelt proceeded to wrap his paws around the other tom and held him tight. "Don't ever scare me like that again you brat or I'll claw you to pieces myself."

 

Crowpaw sighed and flattened his ears. He knew better by now not to try and wiggle his way out of one of Plaguepelt's hugs. They lasted for as long as the melodramatic warrior wanted them to and there was no negotiating this simple fact.

 

"You're hurting me..." Crowpaw complained quietly knowing that this was the only way that the ridiculous tom would at least let up a little bit.

 

Plaguepelt recoiled as if he'd been struck by a snake. "Oh! I'm sorry, dear StarClan what happened to you? And what were you doing out here all alone? I've been looking for you for ages and then I find you looking like you were dead under this stupid tree!"

 

The dark pelted apprentice merely rolled his eyes at the stern angry look he received when Plaguepelt was done rambling. "I couldn't sleep so I went out hunting last night. I tried to catch a rabbit but it was bigger than me and uh...well...it got away."

 

Plaguepelt merely tsked at the explanation that Crowpaw had given him. "You can't even hunt well during the day let alone at night when you're too tired to see your own paws you little insomniac. Don't make me drag my tail out looking for you again okay? If you can't sleep at least come wake me up so I can come out here with you and protect you from big bad rabbits alright?" The red furred tom had a teasing smile on his face as Crowpaw's expression grew angrier.

 

"I can hunt fine! You should've seen that rabbit though it was huge. Even you mister long legs couldn't have killed it." With that the smaller cat stuck his nose in the air and pushed past Plaguepelt so that he could start the trek home to the DawnClan camp.

 

Plaguepelt stumbled to his paws and raced to catch up to the apprentice. "Oh come on really? Beaten by a bunny?"

 

"Shuddup you jerk..."

 

"Nah, you're too cute when you're mad I think I'll keep teasing you."

 

"..."

 

"Aww you're blushing! Ow!"

 

"I told you to shut up."

 

"..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nah don't really got anything to say this time *shrugs* Plague is still a dick? A guilty one though.


	3. Plagued with nightmares and midnight conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> too lazy to do this right now ugh no

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just to let you know this one is set a few nights after "Give a cat a heat attack why dontcha?"

Plaguepelt was awoken suddenly be a rough jerk of his shoulder. The FeatherClan warrior leapt to his paws and spun around to see who was attacking him only to find his little brother Crowpaw crouched defensively, standing near his nest. The red furred tom sighed and chuckled.

 

"Sorry little warrior, you scared me."

 

Crowpaw relaxed and moved closer so that he could feel the comforting warmth of the former rogue. "I didn't mean to..." he mumbled, not in the mood for words. Another of his nightmares had occurred merely moments earlier and the small apprentice was still trying to shake the awful feeling out of his fur.

 

"So then what are you doing in the warriors den then hm?" Plaguepelt yawned, and motioned for the younger tom to explain. Honestly couldn't he see that it was too late at night for a chat?

 

"I...it's just..." Crowpaw looked around the den with an unsure expression. "Never mind, it's not all that important. Sorry for waking you up." he apologized, and began weaving his way around the rest of the sleeping warriors heading for the entrance of the den.

 

"Now wait a minute," Plaguepelt quickly followed after him. "everything you have to say is important to me little warrior. So out with it. What's the matter?"

 

The dark apprentice sighed and turned around. He had made it all the way out of the den before Plaguepelt stopped him, the former rogue in question now had is front paws perched on the small barrier of the entrance to the den.

 

"I had another nightmare." he explained briefly, "And you said to come and get you if it happened again and it did so I did but you're tired and it's really not that big of a deal so I'll just let you go back to sleep. I'm sure I'll be fine..."

 

Plaguepelt's eyes grew softer and a frown had appeared on his usually happy face. "Crowpaw you're shaking, you are by no means fine." The older tom hopped all the way out of the den and pressed his pelt closer to the young apprentice. "C'mon follow me."

 

With that he led the two of them outside the entrance to camp and began walking down a path that they usually took for patrols. "I have the perfect place where we can both sleep. That way if you wake up again you won't be alone at least."

 

Crowpaw suddenly felt like a burden at his brother's kind suggestion. He did everything to keep Crowpaw happy and the FeatherClan apprentice had never really done anything special to deserve this sort of treatment. He felt highly ungrateful.

 

"I'm really sorry for this. I know you do a lot for me and I don't really have much way of thanking you." He smiled playfully, looking up at Plaguepelt's pale orange eyes. "Especially now that you can hunt for yourself."

 

Plaguepelt chuckled softly at that, "Yes, I do miss you catering to my every whim like you did before I joined the clan. But don't ever let yourself think that you have to do things for me if you don't want to. I enjoy taking care of you little warrior. It's become somewhat of a hobby of mine." he smiled fondly at the younger tom who merely blushed in response.

 

"I'm glad that you found me. I feel a lot less lonely now that I know I have kin in my clan."

 

The FeatherClan warrior felt guilt wash over his pelt at those words. Guilt yes but not regret. He had no regret for lying to Crowpaw about their relationship. If he hadn't said that they were brothers Crowpaw wouldn't have been able to trust him. Even if he did so even more wrongly. "I would never have gotten so close to him if he didn't feel a connection to me." This thought is what drove the former rogue to lie as he did. "He obviously needs me anyway so what harm could it have possibly done?"

 

"Yes...it is nice to have someone beside you every step of the way isn't it?" he agreed, hoping that Crowpaw would not see through to his carefully guarded emotions.

 

The dark apprentice did however notice a waver in his voice. He chose to ignore it. "It's just that before you there was no one that understood me in the clan. I know they all care and watch out for me but they aren't real family. They took me in but that was just something any decent cat would do right? A disoriented young cat stumbles into your territory and what else could you do but help him? It just isn't personal. Not in the same way that kin is."

 

"I can agree with that." Plaguepelt winced at the young cat's words though. "But, sometimes family isn't everything. I mean it's great yeah but family is obligated to help each other. Family is born having to do so. Isn't it more meaningful if another cat that has no relations to you just wants to help you?"

 

Crowpaw furrowed his brow. "But you want to help me and you're family. We have a bond that other cats just don't have. I can feel it. That's family isn't it?" he was becoming rather desperate again, the hysteria in his voice growing. This happened often whenever the subject came up. He was always doubting how he felt for Plaguepelt and this didn't escape the older tom's notice.

 

He sighed, it was better to just drop the conversation and alleviate the young cat's fears now before he became too suspicious. "Yes, it is a familial bond. Shhh little warrior, don't get so wound up about something like this. I am your family and I'm here now. I won't let anyone come between us." He placed his tail gently across Crowpaw's shoulder's in a physical effort to calm him down. He worried about the day that he would inevitably realize just what that bond was. Obviously not familial but something else entirely. Hopefully by that time he could salvage what they had left and convince him to love him maybe in a different way than how he perceived their relationship to be now.

 

"This way little warrior." Plaguepelt nudged him in the direction of a hollowed out log. There was a cluster of mushrooms growing around it and a few patches of moss on the inside that would make a nice nest to sleep in. "Lay down and try to sleep now. I'll protect you from your dreams."

 

Crowpaw did as told and curled up close to Plaguepelt's warmth. The red furred tom sighed and looked up at the sky in a hole at the top of their makeshift den. The stars seemed especially bright tonight to which he took to be an omen of good fortune. "Please don't let me be wrong." he thought before curling his body protectively around the small apprentice at his side. "I don't want to lose him..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just another note that I feel the need to add but theres a pretty sizeable time gap between these two shorter stories and "Getting to know your past,present, and future". So that you know...if you care that is

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a little something that I came up with literally a few days ago and just started writing. I AM SO HAPPY TO BE OVER MY WRITERS BLOCK LIKE DUDE YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW! Ahem...anyway this is just a little series of oneshots basically that have to do with Plaguepelt and Crowpaw but they do go in order so I will be posting them in chapters.
> 
> Nothing much to say other than that expect that Plaguepelt is a dick...a dick that will regret this later on...so much regret *sigh* poor babies ^^'


End file.
